NBA AND YOUTUBE PARTNER TO LAUNCH LIVE GAMES ON LEAGUE’S FIRST CHANNEL DEDICATED TO FANS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
- New NBA Africa
YouTube Channel to Broadcast Live Primetime Games Each Week and Celebrate
Africa’s Impact on the NBA –
- First Live Games
on New Channel to Feature Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets and L.A. Clippers
at New York Knicks on Sunday, March 24 –
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and YouTube today announced the
launch of the NBA’s first YouTube channel dedicated to fans in sub-Saharan
Africa. In addition to featuring two live games per week in primetime for
the rest of the 2018-19 season, including the Playoffs, Conference Finals and
The Finals, the NBA
Africa YouTube channel will celebrate the impact of African
players in the NBA. The channel will also showcase the league’s long
history of growing basketball at all levels across the continent and using the
game as a platform to inspire and empower African youth.
The
first two live game broadcasts on the new NBA Africa YouTube channel will take
place on Sunday, March 24 and will feature the Charlotte Hornets hosting the
Boston Celtics at 12:00am (CAT) followed by the L.A. Clippers visiting the New
York Knicks at 6:00pm (CAT).
The
channel will feature original and archived programming, including a
collaboration with Africa-based YouTube creators on original content, a
customized weekly magazine show and NBA documentaries featuring current and
former African players and legends.
“The
NBA Africa YouTube channel is yet another important milestone for the NBA in
Africa and will allow more fans to access our games, live and on demand, across
the continent,” said NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa,
Amadou Gallo Fall. “As we enter the home stretch of the NBA season and teams
fight for playoff positioning, we look forward to bringing the excitement of
the NBA to more fans in sub-Saharan Africa while celebrating the NBA’s rich
history and bright future in Africa.”
“From inception, YouTube has been a hub
for fans to catch up on moments and coverage from their favorite sports,” said
Manager of YouTube Partnerships in Africa, Dayo Olopade. “We are
delighted to be partnering with the NBA to bring the action and inspiration of
basketball to our audience in Africa. We hope NBA fans on the continent
enjoy watching the live games and commentaries on YouTube.”
The NBA’s partnership with YouTube goes back more than a decade when it
became the first professional sports league to partner with YouTube and launch
its own channel in 2005, and the first to join YouTube’s “Claim Your Content”
program in 2007. Last year, YouTube TV became the first presenting partner of NBA
Finals and WNBA Finals. To date, the NBA YouTube channel has generated
more than 5.4 billion views.
The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African
headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010. Opening-night rosters
for the 2018-19 NBA season featured 13 African-born players, and there are more
than 80 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties
to the continent, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Hakeem
Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Last month, the NBA and FIBA announced their plan to launch the Basketball Africa
League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from
across Africa. The BAL will build on the NBA’s existing grassroots and
elite basketball development initiatives on the continent, including the Jr.
NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and The NBA Academy Africa.
Since The NBA Academy Africa opened in May 2017, 25
elite male prospects ages 14-20 have received scholarships and training after
scouting programs conducted with local federations across the continent.
Three NBA Academy Africa graduates have gone on to commit to NCAA Division 1
schools.
The NBA has held three sold-out Africa Games, in Johannesburg in
2015 and 2017 and in Pretoria in 2018, in support of charities including
UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa
(SOSCVSA). Through NBA Cares, the NBA has created 87 places for children
and families to live, learn and play in seven African countries.
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